This is one of those topics again. It's real simple, if you like it and you can afford, buy it. My $20.00 nips just as well as my other 5 dollar nipper. My TFO fly rod cast just cast as well as my other fly rod like my RL Winston LTX. Is all personal is what i see.

I assume when a steelie is following my fly they are checking to see how clean the cut is on my tippet. For that reason I break out a new pair of Abel nippers each day I fish. Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference.

This is about 2 years old and its probably getting towards the end of its life, I guess I got some sand in it recently because you can feel debris when you open and close it. I tried soaking it in oil\WD40 but it didnt help. Doesnt have the reach forceps do but it will cut tippet or a 4\0 hook in half if you stick yourself (dont ask...), plus it has a knife for bleeding fish. I think i paid like 30 bucks for it.

To be fair to the Dr Slicks I often leave my tube sitting on the dock during the summer, and they are clipped to it so they are pretty exposed but meh.

Anyway I am going fishing, I will be back later and we can argue the finer points of expensive wool socks for winter wading or something.

This Exactly! We recently bought a $400 Vitamix blender that is quite the machine. Under some circumstances, buying a higher end tool will have an actual positive ROI (not replacing a cheap $10 tool 5 times), but in the case of this ridiculous blender (or a pair of $50 nippers for me), it is quite pleasing to use and turns out a better product than a lower end model. Since I'm not making my own leaders or rigging gear for steelhead, I'm fine with my $5 nippers out of the plastic jug, but I will never judge somebody because they opted to buy the more elegant/efficient or enjoyable tool.

I checked my teeth in the mirror, and the ones I use as nippers aren't any more worn than any of the others. They could use a good sharpening, though.

On a vaguely related note, I just ran into a guy I know at the boat ramp after paddling/fishing today. Hadn't talked to him in couple of years since he retired. He seemed relaxed and content. Told me he didn't even know what day it was. He spends most of his days fishing now, or working around his house. We have a lot of mutual friends, so I filled him in on the scuttle.
I showed him the pic of the 10" cutt I C&R'd casting and stripping a Reversed Spider. He asked me if I had noticed any bigger ones.
"Nope," I replied, "but I also C&R'd about a half dozen dandy Peamouth Chubs!"

Just then a nice cutt swirled right out in front of the ramp! We both let out whoops. He busted out a cheap spinning rod with a plastic red/white bobber and a can of home dug worms. Made a few casts without any luck. Then we saw a bigger fish jump upstream. He grinned and packed up his stuff and said he was driving to another spot higher up where he could enjoy a beer and a smoke while bobber fishing.

Dang, after reading this thread, and then running into this happy mellow retired dude, I think I might just go back to being a worm fisherman. My compost heap has settled down into being a really productive worm hatchery!

Once you get used to it, it's not too bad. The generator and extension cord are a pain on the Middle Fork though.

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I hope you are using a UL listed marine-use cord with a GFCI receptacle on the generator. You might have a lot of explaining to do if a lot of fish suddenly start floating belly-up around you. So carry a net and be quick.